1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved package for dispensing individual sheets of notepaper from a stack in the package. In one aspect, the present invention relates to an improvement in packages for individually dispensing sheet material adhered together along one edge by a peelable adhesive layer therein removal of one article withdraws one end of the next article which can then be separated without withdrawing the said next article.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present invention provides an improvement in a dispenser for dispensing serially sheets of material which are provided in a stack wherein each sheet is releasably adhered to the next adjacent sheet along an end with each sheet adhered to the next adjacent sheet along alternately opposite edges of successive sheets.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,392 (Smith), issued Nov. 22, 1983 and assigned to the assignee of this app-ication, discloses a dispenser for dispensing sheets of material wherein each sheet is adhered to the next adjacent sheet by a narrow band of adhesive material with the adhesive coated on the lower side of each sheet on alternately opposite edges of successive sheets. In the embodiments of the dispenser shown in the patent the sheets were dispensed from the stack through a fixed opening in the dispenser, and in one embodiment the stack of sheets is moved upwardly as they were dispensed toward the dispensing opening by a movable platform which was spring-urged toward the opening. This construction was usable as a refillable desk dispenser and permits the stack of sheets to have greater height, but, requires numerous parts.
The disposable package for the sheets of the parent application Ser. No. 595,236 permits the dispensing of the sheets throughout a large stack. It is noticed, however, that as the sheets in the stack become depleted the dispensing action of pulling the free end of the exposed sheet and the buckling of the next sheet, results in the buckling of the next sheet taking place more closely to the marginal edge coated with the adhesive and the second sheet folds near the area contacted by the adhesive. This results in the second sheet, adjacent its free end being curved. The curve being such that the dispensed free end of the second sheet droops toward the cover and is not extending straight from the opening and away from the cover.
To reduce the curling of the sheets during dispensing it has been determined that all the sheets should be positioned near the top of the package. The first sheets dispensed did not have the curl. The present invention affords an improvement in the dispensing package to reduce the objectionable curl as the last of the sheets were dispensed and still provide a disposable product.
The present invention affords a means for dispensing individual sheets in a manner which makes the dispensing of all the sheets very uniform without any inconsistency or deleterious effect on the sheets.